Czech Tatra museum in Kopřivnice leaks, repairs have no timeline

The roof of the car museum in Kopřivnice (Moravian-Silesian Region) leaks, and the tiles that heavy vehicles drive over are cracking. The region that owns the building says it plans repairs, but has named neither a deadline nor a budget.

A museum in an unfinished theatre

The museum has operated for almost thirty years in an annex of the local house of culture, but the space was never designed for this kind of exhibition. Dozens of cars stand in the part of the building that was meant to be a theatre. The unfinished shell was converted into a museum in 1997, for the centenary of car manufacturing in Kopřivnice, and, judging by today's problems, it was done in a hurry.

As Lukáš Filip, head of the Tatra Museum branch in Kopřivnice, explained, tiles are not the best surface for passing cars. The roof has already been repaired, but water still seeps in at one spot, and nobody knows exactly where. When the rain is heavy, the water is collected in buckets. Filip fears that only a reconstruction of the whole building will solve the problem.

The exhibits are not in danger

The good news: the rare Tatra cars are not at risk. But to present the collection at a modern standard and with comfort for visitors, investment in infrastructure is needed. The museum has no air conditioning, the lighting is outdated, and finding suitable fixtures is difficult — there are already problems with setting up the lighting. The museum is formally barrier-free, but with serious shortcomings.

The museum building has belonged to the Moravian-Silesian Region for more than two years. According to Nikola Birklenová, spokesperson for the regional office, a structural survey found damage to a number of structures that will have to be addressed during the future revitalisation. Preparatory work and the collection of documents for a decision on the project are under way. The exact implementation date and total budget have not yet been determined; they will be specified in later stages of preparation.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz